2020 Minnesota
3–4 (3–4 Big Ten), coached by P.J. Fleck. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Illinois 41–14Nov 7
By 27 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to Maryland 44–45Oct 30
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 | vs 18Michigan | L 24–49 | 56% |
| Oct 30 | at Maryland | L 44–45 | 67% |
| Nov 7 | at Illinois | W 41–14 | 64% |
| Nov 13 | vs Iowa | L 7–35 | 52% |
| Nov 20 | vs Purdue | W 34–31 | 67% |
| Dec 12 | at Nebraska | W 24–17 | 55% |
| Dec 19 | at Wisconsin | L 17–20 | 37% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Wisconsin 20–17; unranked in the final AP poll; 7th in the Big Ten.
In program history: The 53rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 19
- Wk 6: 25
- Wk 7: 24
- Wk 8: 21
- Record
- 3–4
- Conference
- 3–4 7th in Big Ten
- AP final
- Unranked peak No. 19
- Points
- 191–211
- Coach
- P.J. Fleck
- Elo
- 1573 −42 this season
- SP+ rating
- 4.7 No. 48 of 130; offense No. 19, defense No. 86
- SRS
- 0.1 No. 43 of 77 in FBS
- Returning
- 73% of last season’s EPA, No. 51 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 38 roster talent No. 60 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Mike Sanford Jr. and Matt Simon
- Defensive coordinators
- Joe Rossi and Joe Harasymiak
- Offense
- Spread option
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.17 | 45% | 1.26 | 35th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.29 | 50% | 1.20 | 121st of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.14 off 0.22 def | 44% off 48% def | — | 41st off 121st def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.9 | own 26 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 28 | 12% caused |
CORE rating -10.1, 99th of 127 (offense 4.3, defense 14.4).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Tanner Morgan QB | 1,374 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Tanner Morgan QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Mohamed Ibrahim RB | 1,076 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Mohamed Ibrahim RB | 15 TD |
| Receiving yards | Rashod Bateman WR | 472 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Rashod Bateman WR | 2 TD |
| Tackles | Mariano Sori-Marin LB | 54 tkl |
| Sacks | Boye Mafe DL | 4.5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Deangelo Carter DL | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Itayvion Brown OLB | ★★★★ | No. 299 |
| Daniel Jackson WR | ★★★★ | No. 332 |
| Ky Thomas RB | ★★★★ | No. 407 |
| Jah Joyner WDE | ★★★ | No. 543 |
| JaQwondis Burns OLB | ★★★ | No. 605 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.800 |
| Running backs | 1 | 4.0 | 0.890 |
| Receivers | 5 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Defensive line | 6 | 3.0 | 0.862 |
| Linebackers | 5 | 3.0 | 0.838 |
| Defensive backs | 4 | 3.0 | 0.855 |
| Athletes and specialists | 3 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Whole class | 28 | 3.0 | 0.849 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 1 | Rashod Bateman WR | Baltimore Ravens |
| Rd 3 | Benjamin St-Juste CB | Washington Football Team |
Roster 121
The 2020 roster121 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 53 have a stat line. See the roster
All-Big Ten
1 first teamFirst team
Mohamed IbrahimRBCoaches-1; Media-1
From Wikipedia’s 2020 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
2020 Big Ten standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Ohio State | 5–0 | 7–1 | 2 |
 Northwestern | 6–1 | 7–2 | 10 |
 Indiana | 6–1 | 6–2 | 12 |
| Iowa | 6–2 | 6–2 | 16 |
| Wisconsin | 3–3 | 4–3 | |
 Penn State | 4–5 | 4–5 | |
| Minnesota | 3–4 | 3–4 | |
| Maryland | 2–3 | 2–3 | |
| Nebraska | 3–5 | 3–5 | |
 Rutgers | 3–6 | 3–6 | |
| Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
| Purdue | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
 Michigan State | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
| Illinois | 2–6 | 2–6 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.